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Girdling from slugs?
- Thread starter Ijager
- Start date
IDK about the girdled plants. Maybe some sort of grafting stuff? I had that issue with slugs so I laid down a big ring of Diatomaceous Earth around the stems of the plants. To a human the powder is very soft just don't breathe it in. To a slug it is like crawling over broken glass. At least you will feel better about the slugs being diced up. There is also slug bait but it is bad stuff for pets, birds, kids if they get into it. There has been an epidemic of Earwig bugs the last few years around here that sort of look like that damage. I kill them by the dozens, but there is always a few thousand more that step up to replace them. The DE keeps them down till the plants get large and then they eat the leaves a bit. Good luck.
Are there any leaves missing ?
Do you see any "slime" trails ?
Slugs normally go for the leaves, as opposed to the "bark", and do leave slime trails.
This looks more like rodent damage to me.
And with so much of the "bark" gone, I think that plant will soon die.
Do you have other plants near by ? You could put out some bait, and hope they eat that instead of your plant stems, or some sort of wire cages, chicken wire would have too large a holes to be any good for rodents.
40degsouth
Well-known member
Hi everyone I hope you’re all well,
Ijager, both slugs and snails will eat and girdle, plants. I’ve posted up photos, l think in the “Outdoors” thread showing damage on a large, test plant, this year and a photo of a slug as long as a bottle, last year.
Gastropods will eat the bark, through the cambium, down to the phloem. On big plants they tend to eat in a circular motion, leaving little holes that intersect and create a lot of damage, interrupting the flow of sap, nutrients and water, which in turn impacts plant health. As a side note, an individual has the ability to do this overnight and over several nights the effects can be devastating. I’ve also observed, as one would expect, they seem to prefer one plant over another and I’ve mused that this could possibly be because of the brix levels that the plant produces, perhaps, under stress??
I’ve used and like baits, there are pet friendly types but l prefer to bait in the long grass, or habitat, near or very close to the plants I’m trying to protect, where l think they’ll be hiding and you really don’t need a lot of it, use it sparingly and often to keep numbers down. I don’t like using it next to or around a plant, out in the open, just to see if it’s disappearing. I know from experience it’s the best way to kill off populations and to have it visible, to my mind, is too great a temptation for other animals and creates a potential for overkill.
An infestation is a bigger threat to long term plants than many people realise and l believe they have the ability to smell desirable food sources from quite a distance, as l do with caterpillars. Because of this, sacrificial crops, like freshly sprouted brassicas, are very effective but can bolster numbers rather than decrease them and introduce an avenue for other pests to get a foothold in the garden. Of course biodiversity is always key but can take some time to achieve and in reality, is not always possible depending on the location and time.
Beer traps are another very effective method of control but the one l use, as a preventative, is a ring of hydrated lime around plants, they won’t cross it; it’s very cheap and I’ve generally got it on hand. About 300mm radius from the stem. Other methods of prevention are copper rings or strips around plants, raised beds and pots but I’ve also successfully placed potted plants in a water bath, which is also another extremely successful method for preventing other insect pests getting to your plants (obviously look out for drowning the plants and also insects hidden in the pots themselves. A 24 hr submersion in a bucket of water will have them floating, especially with a drop or two of dish washing liquid, so they can’t climb out). Spreading sawmill wood dust over a bed or around a plant works as well, in my experience, they don’t like crossing this either and it’s great for your soil.
As for that plant, clone it, quickly, or replant, it will die if you leave it in the sun, i.e. put it in the shade. It might just pull through long enough to get some pollen or a few seeds but even now a new seed plant will out perform it. This late in the season you’re probably better off with a decent, hardened off, clone if they’re available to you but as always, everything depends on your desired outcomes and situation.
Cheers,
40.
Ijager, both slugs and snails will eat and girdle, plants. I’ve posted up photos, l think in the “Outdoors” thread showing damage on a large, test plant, this year and a photo of a slug as long as a bottle, last year.
Gastropods will eat the bark, through the cambium, down to the phloem. On big plants they tend to eat in a circular motion, leaving little holes that intersect and create a lot of damage, interrupting the flow of sap, nutrients and water, which in turn impacts plant health. As a side note, an individual has the ability to do this overnight and over several nights the effects can be devastating. I’ve also observed, as one would expect, they seem to prefer one plant over another and I’ve mused that this could possibly be because of the brix levels that the plant produces, perhaps, under stress??
I’ve used and like baits, there are pet friendly types but l prefer to bait in the long grass, or habitat, near or very close to the plants I’m trying to protect, where l think they’ll be hiding and you really don’t need a lot of it, use it sparingly and often to keep numbers down. I don’t like using it next to or around a plant, out in the open, just to see if it’s disappearing. I know from experience it’s the best way to kill off populations and to have it visible, to my mind, is too great a temptation for other animals and creates a potential for overkill.
An infestation is a bigger threat to long term plants than many people realise and l believe they have the ability to smell desirable food sources from quite a distance, as l do with caterpillars. Because of this, sacrificial crops, like freshly sprouted brassicas, are very effective but can bolster numbers rather than decrease them and introduce an avenue for other pests to get a foothold in the garden. Of course biodiversity is always key but can take some time to achieve and in reality, is not always possible depending on the location and time.
Beer traps are another very effective method of control but the one l use, as a preventative, is a ring of hydrated lime around plants, they won’t cross it; it’s very cheap and I’ve generally got it on hand. About 300mm radius from the stem. Other methods of prevention are copper rings or strips around plants, raised beds and pots but I’ve also successfully placed potted plants in a water bath, which is also another extremely successful method for preventing other insect pests getting to your plants (obviously look out for drowning the plants and also insects hidden in the pots themselves. A 24 hr submersion in a bucket of water will have them floating, especially with a drop or two of dish washing liquid, so they can’t climb out). Spreading sawmill wood dust over a bed or around a plant works as well, in my experience, they don’t like crossing this either and it’s great for your soil.
As for that plant, clone it, quickly, or replant, it will die if you leave it in the sun, i.e. put it in the shade. It might just pull through long enough to get some pollen or a few seeds but even now a new seed plant will out perform it. This late in the season you’re probably better off with a decent, hardened off, clone if they’re available to you but as always, everything depends on your desired outcomes and situation.
Cheers,
40.
Last edited:
For those asking, yes there have been the slime trails and leaf damage. The slugs have been a problem and I’ve been using copper wire barriers which has been helping under now.
40degreessouth - thank you for the helpful information. I hit the damaged area with rooting powder and mounded wet coir around them, moving to shade but I’ll be surprised if that works out. This damage happened in the same night and on the same variety.
40degreessouth - thank you for the helpful information. I hit the damaged area with rooting powder and mounded wet coir around them, moving to shade but I’ll be surprised if that works out. This damage happened in the same night and on the same variety.
that's classic slug damage, when plants are young the slime destroys the stems at the bottom.
I have to raise my plants off the ground and cut down the weeds that give them a bridge over to the weed.
also a dry mulch layer like rice hulls is harder for them to cross.
I have to raise my plants off the ground and cut down the weeds that give them a bridge over to the weed.
also a dry mulch layer like rice hulls is harder for them to cross.
St. Phatty
Active member
If you use poison to kill rodents, it doesn't just kill rodents.
It kills everything that eats dead rodents.
i.e. every skunk & possum in a 1 mile radius.
Unfortunately my neighbor did the experiment that I'm talking about.
It kills everything that eats dead rodents.
i.e. every skunk & possum in a 1 mile radius.
Unfortunately my neighbor did the experiment that I'm talking about.
Gather up several inexpensive plastic containers, preferably with lids. Recycled yogurt containers or margarine tubs are an appropriate size for making beer traps for slugs. Cut a few holes near the top of the plastic container. The slugs will use these holes to access the trap. Bury the containers in the ground with about 1 inch (2.5 cm.) remaining above the soil line. Keeping the containers slightly above the soil level helps prevent beneficial insects from falling into the traps. Concentrate the containers in areas of the garden where slug problems are the greatest. Pour 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.6 cm.) of beer or beer substitute into each container. Place the lids on the containers. 
Read more at Gardening Know How: Killing Slugs With Beer: How To Make A Beer Slug Trap https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/pla...-with-beer.htm
Read more at Gardening Know How: Killing Slugs With Beer: How To Make A Beer Slug Trap https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/pla...-with-beer.htm
imiubu
Well-known member
Great information here. Thanks to all contributors, I learned some new stuff.
I make a circle of crushed egg shells around plants in my food garden to reduce slugs, as they don't
like climbing over them.
Not sure about using shells for incognito/ guerilla grows though, as the shells kind of stand out if using
bleached egg shells.
I hope mounding up that plant will pull it around.
Be interested to know the outcome, thanks.
I make a circle of crushed egg shells around plants in my food garden to reduce slugs, as they don't
like climbing over them.
Not sure about using shells for incognito/ guerilla grows though, as the shells kind of stand out if using
bleached egg shells.
I hope mounding up that plant will pull it around.
Be interested to know the outcome, thanks.
40degsouth
Well-known member
Excellent,
what preventative measures did you take to prevent further damage??
40
what preventative measures did you take to prevent further damage??
40
